


The Phantom Engine

by Dalet



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2015-12-31
Packaged: 2018-05-10 16:57:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5593858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dalet/pseuds/Dalet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Heaven stabilizes eventually. Angels who fall out of line now are invited to partake in an artificial sleep, to rest deeply for the duration of their sentence. Castiel is invited to rest, after all he’s done.</p>
<p>Centuries pass before Heaven faces anything like the Apocalyptic crises of ages past. Facing ruin, the order is given.</p>
<p>"<i>Wake him up.</i>"</p>
<p>(A short fic I wrote to go along with a palette meme prompt.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Phantom Engine

Heaven stabilizes eventually. It’s the former Intelligence division that finally pulls it off; their officers rotate leadership positions - and Naomi’s office - in an effort to offset the old totalitarianism.  
  
The prison is demolished, executions abolished; they’ve lost far, far too many already. Angels who fall out of line now are invited to partake in an artificial sleep, to rest deeply for the duration of their sentence, their Grace loosely connected to their siblings, allowing their subconscious to partake in the uplifting restoration process nonetheless.  
  
Castiel is invited to rest, after all he’s done. He dodges it for a time, hiding out on Earth for several decades. Then, abruptly, he reappears, warmly acquiescent.  
  
Centuries pass before Heaven faces anything like the Apocalyptic crises of ages past. When the angels, even as a united front, are finally at a loss, they plead with the current Leader to wake their elders.  
  
“ _They_ remember Armageddon!” they cry. “ _They_ remember the Archangels!”  
  
Facing ruin, the order is given. Of all those at rest, only Castiel is woken, and asked if he will serve another mission for Heaven.  
  
He smiles. “Of course I want to help.”  
  
“What do you need?” they ask him, but Castiel doesn’t answer at first. He flies. He takes in every corner of Heaven, new and old. He discovers the Phantom Engine.  
  
It’s powerful magic, he’s told. Even a sliver of Grace can produce a vision of a departed sibling; an echo. Vivid, but temporary.  
  
Castiel visits Earth. Not to hide, but as the first step in his mission. He searches far and wide for places forever burned into his mind, but nearly lost to time. A former parking lot. A roadside. A desolate spot in the woods where a cabin once stood. Several warehouses, one still standing.  
  
When he returns to Heaven, he sets a list on the Leader’s desk. “There’s only one thing I need to complete this mission,” he says.  
  
“My old garrison.”


End file.
